PADRES TAKING NOTICE OF LAKE ELSINORE PITCHER SMITH

Burch Smith launched his professional career last summer as a footnote.

The Padres’ 14th-round selection in the 2011 draft, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-handed pitcher didn’t crack anyone’s top prospects list after two, one-inning appearances for the Arizona Rookie League Padres late last summer.

He was “under the radar” as they like to say in the prospect business.

No more.

Randy Smith, the Padres’ vice president of player development, quickly named Smith earlier this week when asked to identify some lesser recognized minor league players who have bolstered their own prospects with a strong showing this season.

Smith has a 9-4 record with a 3.19 earned run average with the Storm in 20 starts. He has allowed 92 hits in 104 1/3 innings with 119 strikeouts against only 18 walks — a 6.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

But of more importance is what Smith has done recently. He is 6-1 over his past 10 starts with a 2.14 ERA. And last Wednesday against Lancaster, Smith allowed three hits in five shutout innings while striking out 10 without issuing a walk.

He works with a 95-mph fastball that has touched 97 mph. But velocity is not where Smith has made strides this season.

“I think I’ve been able to get comfortable and get into a groove,” said Smith, who gives a lot of credit to Lake Elsinore pitching coach Bronswell Patrick.

“He’s worked with me on everything, off the field as well as on it,” said Smith. “That includes diet, how to rest between starts, how to approach bullpen sessions, how to warm up, everything.”

Smith said he also benefitted from working with highly touted starter Donn Roach during the time the right-hander was with Lake Elsinore.

“Donn helped show me the importance of getting and keeping the ball down ... the value of the ground-ball out,” said Smith. “Keeping the ball down might have been my toughest adjustment. In college at Oklahoma, I could get away with messing up. You can’t leave the ball up in the California League. It gets crushed.”

Smith said he “wasn’t too pleased with the execution of his pitches” at the start of the season.

“The command of my fastball has really improved,” he said. “My off-speed stuff is still a little hit and miss. And I’m a lot more comfortable with my changeup.”

Smith said one thing that has worked in his favor is the fact that he doesn’t pay a lot of attention to his statistics. He didn’t know about his numbers over the last 10 games other than to say “I know I’ve been pitching better.”

“I’ll look at my line and the chart after each game, but I try not to keep track of the statistics. I’ve always been something of a perfectionist. I’m thinking about where I want to be in my next start, where I want to tweak.